Then, we brainstormed ways to collect our data in a precise way. Here were our guiding questions for our discussion:

>>> How can I collect the data? {we finally agreed on asking everyone in our class on their own...I pushed for this one because it was the least structured way and would force my firsties to keep track of their collecting on their own.}

>>> How will I keep track of my data?

>>> How will I know if I've asked everyone in our class if they like baseball?

Then, I let them loose! No really, this was fantastic! They had a purpose....they each had a plan...and every. single. kiddo. was on task to collect their data. And I was in teacher heaven! *wink, wink*

Some kiddos collected their data by writing names of friends once they had asked them....

Others wrote numbers 1-25 and then marked of each friend's class number after they surveyed them...

And one sweetie kept track and collected data all in one....She wrote the class number of the friend she had surveyed in her data table and then went back and counted the numbers for each section...I had to ask her and clarify because this idea wasn't one she had shared with the class earlier! :)

I was so proud of how well my first graders collected, tracked and recorded their data! I really think our discussions the day before on how important a data display is and what problems happen when we aren't precise really helped focus kids on their precision with data!

..it probably also helped that I challenged them to see who would be accurate in their totals. When our surveying was over, we collected the data whole group by raising hands and counting. This group is so competitive, I didn't even reward them for accuracy. They were just motivated to get it right on their own! :)

Once we all had adjusted our data to reflect the accurate count, we analyzed our data by answering the questions about our data.

Of course, we could've extended this activity by having them make a data display, but we just ran out of time! #keepingitreal